Set In Stone
by Makesushi
Summary: Is the fate of the world set in stone? Not if one Shinigami has anything to do with it. Settling into the body of the recently deceased Uchiha Yuuto and with none of his memories about who he really is, he must navigate the world of ninja as a boy who was never supposed to exist in the first place.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm kind of sorry. Don't worry, I shame myself for how many Uchiha OC's I write too. Don't even worry about it. **

* * *

The Shinigami looked over the paperwork that had been plopped on his desk after another massacre or genocide or _whatever _it was. It was hard, really hard, to sift through all those documents of what _used _to be people. He'd been doing this for a long time and he was _still _somehow surprised by what humanity could do to itself. Even when he _was _one.

"You're too soft," Ronald said, his legs kicked up on the desk while he lazily read over his work.

"Don't you feel anything for these people?" The Shinigami asked, frowning when he read over the fate of a thirteen year old girl, cut down before she even reached her prime.

"Nah, not really," the Shinigami's partner said with a shrug. He looked at a page and hummed, casting the Shinigami a mischievous look. "Say, you wanna make a little bet?" He asked, flicking the page around, a picture of a young boy on the front.

"What kind of bet?" The Shinigami asked hesitantly.

"_Well, _you know that in that weird ninja world there's supposed to be some kind of huge disaster caused by that Uchiha asshole and the chick form the moon or whatever. We'd have to stop that event from happening, anyways..." He trailed off and stood up, brining the page with him. "Let's make a bet, we send you in as our agent to save the world. If you succeed, I'll admit that humans are worth something _sort of, _and if you fail, then you have to admit that humans are a lost cause."

"Don't you think it's wrong to bet on lives like that? Besides, the higher ups would never let us do something like that," the Shinigami argued. He adjusted his tie and pushed his glasses further up his face.

"You let _me _worry about them," he grinned at the Shinigami. "So, what do you say?" He asked, holding out his hand.

"What would be the parameters of the bet?"

"Well, you'd have to have a completely human experience, so you couldn't have your memories about all of _this." _He gestured around the office. "Or the Reapers, for that matter, you'll have _most of _this kid's memories, but some things might have been lost at some point, so you might not have them all. And _I _wouldn't be allowed to interfere in anything you do. When you come to the end of your human life, then we decide the winner of the bet."

The Shinigami thought, holding out his hand for the page written about the young boy who died so recently. He squinted his eyes and sighed in defeat. Relenting he held out his hand. "So I just have to save the world, then?" He asked.

"Yep!" Ronald said happily, and they shook on it. "Enjoy being Uchiha, Yuuto! And good luck!"

* * *

Yuuto's eyes slowly opened, and he was confused. He thought for sure that-

_"No! Itachi-san! Please not Yuuto!" His mother screamed, lunging at Itachi, grabbing him by the hem of his shirt. "He's only five years old! Please! Have mercy!" She screamed. Itachi didn't take his unnerving red eyes off of Yuuto's own wide onyx eyes. A sure sign in the Uchiha clan that he had the potential of unlocking the Sharingan when he was older. The only worth in the Uchiha clan was the ability to use their __kekkei genkai. Yet, all that use and potential would be snuffed out in a moment. Itachi raised his sword up, and the last thing Yuuto remembered were the horrified screams of his mother. _

He couldn't breathe. He could hear a rapid, urgent beeping of a heart monitor. The door burst open and three people in white rushed in, talking to each other in clipped tones. One person, with strong hands, held Yuuto down while screamed himself horse. A plastic mask was slipped over his face, and Yuuto fell under again. His vision was black.

He woke against a few hours later, thankfully, in a much calmer state of being. He lazily rolled his head to the side and saw a nurse checking the machines he was hooked up too. She looked down and let out a little 'oh' when she realized that he was awake. She leaned down and smiled at him sweetly. She laid a hand on his forehead, brushing away his wild brown hair. "Good afternoon Yuuto-san," she said, her voice like a soft summer breeze. "Do you know where you are?" She asked.

"Hospital?" He asked, his own voice rough with disuse. "How...long?" He asked her.

"About a week and a half," she said. "You'll be cleared to leave soon...if you pass the tests the medics want to run on you in the morning. Yuuto-san, do you remember what happened?" She asked, like she was worried he might shatter like glass.

Yuuto gasped, and moved his left hand, grabbing his chest, over where Itachi had struck him. Merciless eyes. His mother screaming. Darkness. The nurse had to call his name several times before he managed to center himself. He looked up at her with frightened eyes and she looked at him with empathy. "Yeah..." he said quietly. "I remember what happened."

"I'm sorry, Yuuto-san." She looked down at her clipboard. "There was one other survivor besides you. Your older cousin, Sasuke. Are the two of you close?"

"We grew up together," Yuuto said. "His mom is...was my dad's older sister." Yuuto looked away from the kind nurse. "Is Sasuke...how is he?"

She swallowed thickly and tried to keep the smile on her face. "He's been waiting for you to wake up. Would you like me to tell him?"

"Give me...ten minutes," Yuuto said. "I just need to get my head together."

"Of course, Yuuto-san," she said with a small bow. "I'll go get your lunch before I go to get Sasuke-san."

"Thank you."

She left him alone, and Yuuto tried to sit up, but the pain that radiated across his entire chest, sent him back onto the bed crying out in pain. _'Alright,' _he thought, gripping the fabric of the hospital gown. _'So, no sitting up then.' _He laid back down, and looked up at the ceiling, counting the squares. He tilted his head and looked out the window. He wondered...was there anyone protecting him, just incase Itachi came back. Yuuto winced at that thought. His cousin coming back to finish the job. To murder him. A blue bird landed on the window, cocking its head to the side, looking at him curiously before it flew away.

There were footsteps outside his door, and he could hear the nurse's voice outside it. "Now, Sasuke-san, Yuuto-kun was hurt very badly. I understand if you want to hug him, but please keep that in mind."

Sasuke didn't say anything. He opened the door and walked slowly into the room. Yuuto let his head roll to the side and Sasuke stopped, sucking in a breath. His eyes were vulnerable for just a minutes, before the emotion melted off his face. He grabbed the chair that was placed by a table and dragged it over to sit by Yuuto's beside. He sat down, and gently took Yuuto's hand. "You're awake," he said frankly.

"Yeah...I am." He gave Sasuke's hand a soft squeeze. "When can we go home?" He asked.

"I don't know," Sasuke admitted. "When everyone is positive that you're all healed up."

* * *

Sasuke checked out of the hospital two days later. He couldn't stand staying in the clan compound, so the Hokage found a two room apartment that the two survivors could share. He also paired the rent in advance, all the way until the projected date Sasuke would graduate from the academy. Yuuto didn't wind up coming home for another week.

Yuuto walked around their apartment like a small ghost. On several occasions, Sasuke saw him scratching the skin around his fingernails. Sasuke had to stop him before he drew blood. Probably, the hardest part for Sasuke was having to take care of Yuuto. Not that Yuuto was a difficult child, but he did tend to resist vital care. Like baths, bedtimes, or food. Sometimes Sasuke thought his cousin had been replaced with a puppet who only went through the motions when he was ordered too. Sasuke knew that it wasn't fair he had to take care of another child, but he knew he'd manage.

"It's dinner!" Sasuke called into the hallway, knowing that Yuuto was tucked away in his room. He started serving up the two bowls. He wrinkled his nose at the vegetables that he _didn't _like. But they were full of nutrients that the medics had said would help Yuuto's wounds recover. So he would eat them, right along with his cousin. At least they still got to eat fish and rice.

Sasuke was so relived that he didn't have to worry about money on top of everything else. The Uchiha clan was wealthy and now that were no one was left, all of that money went to Sasuke, as the oldest heir left. So he could take care of Yuuto without worrying about if they would be able to afford money.

The five-year-old shuffled out of his room, his brown hair hanging around his head in a matted tangle. Sasuke sighed. _His _hair was easy to manage. He just left it dry after washing it, and it dried the same way every time. But Yuuto's obviously needed special attention. "Your taking a bath tonight. Wash your hair," Sasuke ordered, trying to mimic his mother's stern but caring tone. But coming from him it just sounded bossy. Yuuto didn't care. He shrugged and ate his food robotically.

Later that night, after Yuuto had finished his bath, Sasuke sat his younger cousin between his legs, and gently brushed Yuuto's hair. When it was combed out, it looked sleek and shiny. He pinned Yuuto's hair back and sent him off to bed at eight o'clock.

* * *

_Yuuto-nii. That's what his little sister would scream every time he walked into the room. She'd been the first to fall under Itachi's sword. Next was their father. Then Yuuto. Finally their mother. But Itachi wasn't always like that. In fact, before the actual event, there was nothing about Itachi that even suggested he was capable of such a heinous action. He was like an older brother to Yuuto. _

His eyes snapped open. He looked at the clock by his bedside. Only six in the morning. Sasuke wouldn't be in to wake him up for another six hours. But he couldn't sleep. So he sat up and turned on the lamp sighing, running his hands through his hair. He liked it better when there weren't knots in it. The only plus to Sasuke insisting that he sit down while the older boy ripped through his head with a hair brush.

Yuuto's hair was just like his dad's. Down to his ears, slightly curly, pushed out of his face. Yuuto actually looked like _most _Uchiha boys. Every time he looked into a mirror he mistook his own face for someone else's. It was maddening. So he avoided mirrors as much as he was able too.

Yuuto wondered if Sasuke was home yet. He slowly got out of bed, putting on his slippers and opening his door. Sasuke's door was slightly ajar, so Yuuto snuck across the hall and opened it. He sighed in relief when he saw Sasuke's spikey hair poking out of his blankets. He'd been filled with an unmated determination when he went back to the academy. He'd been training all hours of the day. He woke Yuuto up, make a quick breakfast, then left to go train outside of the academy. Then he wouldn't come home until the ungodly hours of the morning. The present moment was the exception.

While he was at school, Sasuke hired a Genin team to take care of him. They'd be over at noon, and made Yuuto breakfast. They'd make him do homework that the academy recommended children did before they began their tenor there. Mostly just basic math and reading and writing. By the time he was finished with that it would be about two or three in the afternoon, sometimes the Genin team would take him to the park or they would play games with him in the apartment. Then at five, they'd make him take a bath while they made dinner. Then they'd all sit down together. They'd put him to bed at eight o'clock, and they would leave at some point, but Yuuto would never be awake to see them off.

He normally got one of two teams. Team three which consisted of Hyuga Shin, Tanaka Mei, and Sato Sota. Their Jonin instructor was just called Ryusei. Yuuto called them the 'boring team' because they were all so serious. Like a group of teenaged elderly men. The next team was Team eleven. Watanabe Yuki, Ito Ren, and Inuzuka Hana. Their Jonin sensei was Shin Koharu. They were the fun team, because every time they came over, Hana-san brought her dogs with her. Sometimes they even let Yuuto stay up late so he could finish watching a movie or play a game.

But that night Sasuke was tucked into bed. Yuuto went back to his room and put on his clothes for the morning. He went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. There were a few leftovers from yesterdays dinner. Yuuto pulled it out and set it up on the counter. He grabbed a chair and stood up on it, grabbing two plates from the cupboard. He climbed down and turned on the stovetop. He put the two pieces of leftover fish into the pan and watched them cook. When he thought they were finished he put them onto the two plates. He didn't know how to use the rice cooker, so he just cut up a tomato for Sasuke and an apple for him. He put both plates on the table, laying the chopsticks on their little holders.

Yuuto looked at the clock. It was about seven. He shrugged and walked to Sasuke's room. He knocked on the door, before sliding it open. He saw Sasuke blink his eyes open sleepily. He looked really young, his cheeks pressed against the pillow, squishing it. "Yuuto?" He asked, sitting up. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Yuuto said, hiding behind the door shyly. "I made breakfast, so you should come eat," he said with a smile.

Sasuke nodded and rubbed his eyes. He flicked his hand towards the door, and Yuuto took that to mean that he wanted privacy. He shut the door and walked back to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and grabbed the gallon of milk. He grabbed two glasses from the drying rack and walked back to the table, meeting Sasuke there. He put the cup beside his cousin's plate and poured him a big cup of milk. "If you wanna be a strong ninja, you gotta have strong bones!" He grinned up at Sasuke who blinked slowly, not quite awake.

"The new semester starts in three months," Sasuke said, chewing a slice of tomato. "You'll be six by then, so I think you should sign up."

"Alright, when do we have to submit my application?" Yuuto asked.

"Next month. I'll fill out the paperwork, don't worry about it."

"Okay." They fell into silence. Yuuto finished his food before Sasuke, but stayed sitting across from him. "So...what are you going to do today?" He asked.

"I'm going to train," Sasuke answered.

"Oh." Yuuto tapped his fingers against the table top. "Can I come with you?"

Sasuke was quite while he thought it over. "Yeah, you can come. Just make sure not to get in my way."

"Yes!" Yuuto cheered, throwing his hands up in the air.

* * *

Yuuto pulled at the new navy-blue shirt that Sasuke had given him that morning. It went well with his black stirrup pants. The shirt was loose fitting, long sleeved, but very comfortable. They'd paid the tailor to sew the Uchiha clan crest onto the right sleeve. He'd even tied his brown hair up into a bun and stuck an Uchiha fan hairpin in it. He thought he looked very handsome for his first official day of school.

The Hokage was giving a speech, and Yuuto was too nervous to listen to anything that was being said. He looked over and saw Sasuke was holding his book bag, and when he caught Yuuto's eye, he gave him a proud nod. Yuuto turned back around and stood straighter, pushing his shoulders back.

"You are the next generation," the Hokage said, holding out his arms to the group of children. "In your hearts, you carry our will of fire, and I know that you will all make our village proud!" The Chunin instructors clapped when he was finished with his speech. The Hokage bowed his head, and they were being divided into classes. There were four teachers for first year classes. The biggest group. By the second year, half of the kids would have moved on to something else. Either the civilian academy or some kind of specialization.

"Uchiha, Yuuto."

When his name was called, the young boy snapped to attention and marched stiffly to his teacher. A woman, who looked to be in her mid-thirties. She had laugh lines around her eyes, and had an air of kindness around her. Her hair was bright red, and her eyes were green. She leaned over and checked her list. "Alright, that's everyone!" She clapped her hands together. "We're all going to meet in classroom 1-E in fifteen minutes, if you'd all like to say goodbye to your families and collect your things."

Yuuto ran over to Sasuke and grabbed his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. "Sasuke!" He breathlessly grabbed onto Sasuke's shirtsleeve. "I'm going to be an _awesome _ninja!"

"To be awesome you have to get to class first," Sasuke said blandly. He turned Yuuto around and pushed him gently towards the building. "I'll come pick you up after class."

"Yeah!" Yuuto ran towards the school, dodging children who were talking with siblings or parents.


	2. Chapter 2

**Another chapter! Reviews are always nice! **

* * *

Shiro-sensei watched them all while they took their first history test, and Yuuto couldn't help but feel a little arrogant. A week in, and it became apparent that Yuuto would be the best in the History class. He circled the right answers, and was the first to hand in his test. Shiro-sensei read over his test and hummed. He flipped through a few pages on his clipboard and took out a sticker, placing it on Yuuto's forehead. "Good job," the stoic man said. "You can go to lunch now."

Yuuto left the classroom, closing the door quietly behind him. The halls were empty, all classes would be in session for at least another thirty minutes. It disappointed Yuuto when he found out that he and Sasuke didn't have the same lunch schedule. But at least it was a good opportunity to make friends his own age. A totally new experience. All of Yuuto's old friends were dead, and had been provided _for _him by his parents. The young boy felt melancholy wash over him. He wandered into the library and sat down at one of the tables, pulling out his bento box.

Out of all of his lost friends, he missed Yumi the most.

_"Whaaa!" She screamed, jumping through the window and smacking Yuuto on the forehead. The younger child looked at her in confusion. "Come on dummy, we're going to bully to koi fish!" She grabbed him by the wrist and started dragging him towards the window. Despite his protests, she picked him up and shoved him outside into the pouring rain. His mother poked her head out the kitchen window, and chuckled when she saw her son's friend. "Let's go!" Yumi grabbed him and dragged him from his house. He didn't even have shoes on. _

Yuuto wiped his eyes furiously, and ate his lunch. He took a few deep breaths, leaning back in his chair, looking up at the flickering lights. The librarian peeked over the shelves of books, but when he gave her a quick wave, she left him on his own. He finished, not really tasting his food and packed everything away. He didn't feel like going outside to play. It wasn't a very nice day anyways, the clouds were gathering.

Yuuto turned his head and saw that he was sitting at the section labeled 'basic techniques' and decided to take a look. The first book was about chakra control for kids whose coils hadn't fully formed yet. He shrugged and opened it up to the first page, which was the beginning of a five page warning about practicing chakra control unsupervised.

* * *

Yuuto sat on the kitchen table with his legs crossed, hands on his knees. His notebook was in front of him, colorful notes that he'd taken from the chakra control book from the library. First years -unfairly- weren't allowed to take books home. He had a leaf in his hand, and clutched it between his fingers. He took a deep breath, straightening out his spine. He placed the leaf on the top of his head. It floated off the second he let go of it.

He sighed in irritation, looking at the fallen leaf blankly. This was supposed to be the _easiest _form of chakra control. He grabbed his notes and looked over them. _'Chakra isn't a force that can be beaten into submission. Not anymore than your arm can be forced into action, anyways. Molding chakra for a ninja should be as thoughtless as moving your arm and touching your nose. It is a part of your body, just as much as your blood is.' _He read the quote from the book and tossed the notebook down on the table.

Maybe he was over thinking this?

So Yuuto changed his perspective. Instead of focusing on the leaf, he focused on the center of his forehead. Imagined his chakra flowing there, surrounding a small perimeter around where he wanted the leaf to stick. He had _no _experience in chakra control, so he didn't fault himself for not being able to mold the energy like he could take a breath, but damn was it frustrating not to have instant results.

He could feel the energy moving through his body, working with his will. He picked up the leaf again and placed it on his forehead. He even managed to keep it there for ten seconds, before it became too much and it fell off of his face. He hummed in satisfaction, grabbing his notebook and circling the passage that had helped him visualize his chakra paths to his head.

He pushed himself off of the table, and had to grab the edge, almost falling flat on his face as a wave of exhaustion washed over him. He stood there, his vision swimming dangerously. He groaned softly, pushing himself into a chair, and letting himself relax. He pulled his notes closer, hardly able to keep his eyes open. _'Note:' _he wrote in bright red ink. '_Never having used chakra intentionally before, it almost knocked me off my feet. Be aware of limitations of my own body. Wouldn't recommend trying again for at least the next week. Further research required.' _

* * *

It was the first day of his second year at the academy, and like he expected, about half of the class had fallen away from the herd. They would be starting physical training that year, and most of the class was excited to finally start their ninja training. Yuuto included. He was roped into a group of boys during the morning physical education. Aburame Shin and Yamamoto Haruto were two typically reclusive kids, with crazy looks in their eyes, which might have been why they fell in so well with Yuuto.

"My father has been teaching me our clan techniques since I could walk," Haruto said, grinning at the two of them, showing off while he did the basic kicks that their instructor was demonstrating for them all. "Our clan is really good at tijutsu, it's only natural that I am too. If you guys ever want some pointers, I'd be more than happy to share with you."

Shin looked at him and smirked. "Your foot is in the wrong position," he said, pointing to Haruto's foot which was pointed at the wrong angle. Easy for the enemy to kick under his legs and knock him onto his back. "If you ever want pointers, you be sure to let me know."

Yuuto giggled quietly at the horrified look on Haruto's face. "It's alright, let's all learn from each other. That's how we'll get _really _strong."

"You're _way _to nonconfrontational to be a ninja, Yuuto-san," Shin tossed over his shoulder.

"There's nothing wrong with avoiding conflict with your allies," Yuuto defended himself, puffing out his cheeks. His two classmates snickered, but they returned to their training without further incident.

Shin caught up with him after their morning classes. "Hey, come eat lunch with us."

He didn't give Yuuto the chance to answer before he grabbed him by the sleeve, and dragged him over to a bench that was sat under a tree. It was a nice place, so Yuuto sat down and pulled out his bento. Shin's mom packed him a healthy lunch full of greens and rice, which he surprisingly didn't complain about. He seemed perfectly happy, ripping into a piece of broccoli. Haruto screwed up his face in disgust, watching his friend enjoy such an unconventional dish for a child to enjoy.

"So, what did you get?" Haruto asked, gesturing to Yuuto's bento, decorated with the Uchiha clan crest.

Yuuto opened it up, and smiled when he saw the chiken and rice balls that one of the Genin teams had packed for him the night before. He picked up one of the rice balls, and turned it over. There was tuna in the center. He took a bite and perked up at the familiar flavors filled his mouth. It'd been _awhile _since he'd had-

_"Come here, love," his mother said, tapping the short chair she'd put in front of the counter. Yuuto climbed up and looked up at her curiously. She smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear and kissed his cheek. "I'm going to show you how to make your papa's favorite food, alright?" _

_"Okay!" He said, standing on the tips of his toes. The three year old bounced excitedly on the chair, and his mother laughed, her laughter like bells. She put a hand on top of his head, making him stand still. He listened to her attentively while she demonstrated how to make simple rice balls. The door opened, and Yuuto's head snapped to the side, jumping off of the chair, and sprinted towards the door. "Pa-" He cut himself off, looking at the form of his father, covered in bruises. Blood splattered all over his clothes. _

_His father's face twisted in agony, watching his son back away slowly from him. "I'm not hurt, little buddy," he said. "Just give Papa a few minutes to get cleaned up, alright?" _

_"Alright..." Yuuto turned and ran back towards his mother who looked just as horrified as her son to see her husband covered in blood. _

He blinked a few times and realized that the conversation had carried on without him. He smiled and laughed when it felt appropriate.

* * *

_'What I learned about chakra so far: essential to even the most basic jutsu or technique. Through various methods, the most common of which is hand seals, chakra can be controlled and manipulated to create an effect that would not be possible otherwise, such as walking on water, exhaling fire, or creating illusions. Chakra is ordinarily not visible to the unaided eye unless it is highly concentrated or manifested in large amounts. chakra has become a form of life energy that all individuals produce to some degree; those who run out of chakra will die. Produced within the "chakra coils" that mainly surround and connect to each chakra-producing organ, the energy circulates throughout the body in a network called the "Chakra Pathway System", which is similar to what the books call 'the cardiovascular' system. Chakra is created when two other forms of energy, known collectively as one's "stamina", are molded together. Physical energy is collected from each and every one of the body's cells and can be increased through training, stimulants, and exercise. Spiritual energy is derived from the mind's consciousness and can be increased through studying, meditation, and experience. These two energies becoming more powerful will in turn make the created chakra more powerful. Therefore, practicing a technique repeatedly will build up experience, increasing one's spiritual energy, and thus allowing more chakra to be created. As a result, the ninja is able to do that same technique with more power. This same cycle applies for physical energy, except the ninja needs to increase their endurance instead._

_At any given time, a ninja will have a "maximum" amount of chakra that they can form and use before it runs out and they need to rest to replenish it. Such as when I had to wait an entire week before I was able to use chakra again after the first time. With practice this maximum can be increased, but to a certain extent as they are limited to the quantity and strength of chakra that their genetics grants them. Each person's chakra is different and as such gives off a unique chakra signature. Chakra signatures are passed genetically, allowing a person's clan to be identified by their chakra;[5] over time, entire populations can have perceptibly different chakra.' _

Yuuto pushed himself away from his desk and hummed, balancing his pen on his lip. It sparked a bit of inspirational thought in him. As silly as it seemed, Yuuto was able to use his lip to balance his pen because he had practiced it so many times, with many failures. He'd used _physical _energy to learn the balance of how much pressure to put on the pen with his lip, by factoring in the weight of the pen and adjusting accordingly. Now he could do it without thinking about it.

His thoughts were interrupted when there was a knock on his door. "Come in?"

The door opened, and Hana poked her head in. "Bedtime, kiddo," she said cheerfully. "Your Sasuke said no more staying up late!"

He looked at the clock. Nine thirty at night. "But I don't have school tomorrow," Yuuto protested. She raised an eyebrow and he sighed, slipping out of his chair. "Alright, I'm going to bed." He laid down on his bed and slipped under the covers, turning off her lamp. She rolled her eyes, and closed the door. moved and lit the candle in his nightstand and opened another book about chakra.

The door flew opened in Hana glared at him. "Lights out mister!" She ordered, ignoring Yuuto's horrified scream. She grabbed the book from him and blew out his candle. "Now go to sleep."

"Wait! Hana!" He called, sitting up. She stopped, and turned around, gazing at him curiously. "What is the deference between an Inuzuka's chakra, and someone else's?" He asked. "Is your chakra the reason your clan is able to bond with dogs?"

She laughed and waved her hand dismissively. "You're way to young to be worried about things like that," she said. "Don't worry kiddo, you'll learn all about chakra next year at the academy. Now, _go to bed." _She shut the door, leaving Yuuto in the dark.

He sighed and laid down on his bed, trying to let his eyes adjust to the darkness. How was he supposed to become an awesome ninja, when no one took him seriously? Then again, what ninja was open about their family secrets? As much as Hana liked him, why would she freely offer up information about her clan and their secret techniques? He clenched his hands into fists in his blankets. He wasn't going to allow them to stop him from learning everything he could.

His never ending quest for knowledge wouldn't be stopped because people were paranoid.

* * *

"Akira-sensei, I was wondering if I could have a word with you?" Yuuto poked his head into the teacher's lounge. A few people shouted at him to get out, but his homeroom teacher waved them off.

"Alright, Yuuto-kun, meet me in the classroom and we can talk."

"Thank you!" Yuuto closed the door and ran down the hall. One of the teachers yelled at him to slow down. He did so reluctantly, and slid into the empty classroom. Akira-sensei wasn't far behind him. She sat down behind her desk, and gestured for Yuuto to pull up a chair.

"How can I help you?" She asked, folding her hands down.

"I want to sign up for weapons training," Yuuto said firmly. "Specifically archery."

She looked at him curiously, blinking rapidly. "Now, Yuuto-kun, you know that weapons training isn't taught until third year, and we don't teach archery in the standard classes."

"Yes, you _don't _teach archery in the standard classes. However, when browsing the library, I came across the rules for specializations. Regardless of year, a student may petition the academy to provide them with a teacher for the subject of their choice, so long as they show a higher than average aptitude towards the subject. This rule mostly applies to medical ninjutsu, however, it would also apply just as well to any other subject."

Akira-sensei sighed, and rubbed her temples. "Why are you kids in such a rush to grow up? We're in a time of peace, there's no need for you to try and advance so quickly." She smiled pleasantly at him, and touched his hand. "Just wait a year, Yuuto. If you still insist on archery, then I'm sure we can find you a tutor."

"But Akira-sensei-!"

She held up a hand, stopping his protests. "That is my _final _answer. No. You will wait until next year to receive archery training from this academy. I'm sorry Yuuto."

Yuuto balled his left hand up under the table, before releasing the tension and grabbing the fabric of his pants instead. He stood up and gave her a polite bow. "Very well. I accept your decision." He rose from his bow and dismissed himself, closing the door behind him quietly. He turned and rested his back against the wood of the wall, letting out a tense breath. He pushed away from the wall and started walking towards the entrance of the academy. Sasuke wouldn't be waiting there, already off to the training fields.

So he'd just hunt his cousin down there. He broke out into another run, ignoring the adults who were yelling at him. He slipped out of the school yard, and into the wooded area that made up the secluded training areas. Just as he expected, Sasuke was there, throwing kunai at a target. Yuuto cupped his hands around his mouth. "Sasuke!" He yelled. His cousin tripped on a rock, looking behind his shoulder.

"Yuuto?!" He flipped back onto his feet and glared at the younger child. "What are you doing here? And why did you sneak up on me like that?"

"S-sorry! I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't," Sasuke insisted, crossing his arms over his chest, and glaring at his cousin. "What do you want?" He demanded.

"I need money!" Yuuto clenched his fists at his side.

"What?" Sasuke asked. "Why do you need money?"

"So I can by a bow and arrows set." Yuuto unclenched his hands, looking down at the crescent shaped marks on his hands. His frown deepened. If he was strong, he'd have broken skin.

Sasuke bit the inside of his chubby cheek, and tapped his nose. "Okay...here...go home for now. I might have something that you can use."

"You do?"

"Yeah, now get out of here. I'm busy."

"Yeah! Thank you, Sasuke!"

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**Replies: **

**phelipebr: Sasuke is two years older than Yuuto. At the time of the massacre, Sasuke was seven, and Yuuto was five. At the end of this chapter Sasuke is nine and Yuuto is seven. **


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